


Operation: Anniversary

by DoctorpooandtheTURDIS



Series: The Twins [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, F/M, Sibling Incest, Twincest, will and el are twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:53:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28208616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorpooandtheTURDIS/pseuds/DoctorpooandtheTURDIS
Summary: After an unbroken four-year streak of remembered anniversaries, Will finally forgets one, and is sent into a panic. El always goes all out for him, and he wants to do the same. It's possible, but there's one thing for certain:He's gonna need some help.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers/Eleven | Jane Hopper
Series: The Twins [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064444
Comments: 32
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

The human brain is not a perfect thing. It has a capacity, like any storage device. So, when filing things away like important memories, or dates, or what have you, occasionally, things get lost in the mix. Even important dates like birthdays and anniversaries, things that people remember most every year, sometimes are forgotten when they roll around.

It’s only human. Everybody’s susceptible to it.

Including Will Byers. So as he lay there in bed, the warmth of his other half clinging to his side, he had no idea anything was wrong.

\------------

“So,” El smiled flirtatiously at Will, “Any… special plans for today?”

“No.” Will glanced up from his breakfast. He never made her make him breakfast. A holdover from when they were kids. “Why?”

“You don’t…” El hypothetically threw out. “Have any special surprises in store?”

“…no?” Will replied, confused. “Am I supposed to?”

El deflated slightly. “…No.” She said after a moment. “Forget I said anything.” She looked to the four-year-old sitting in a booster seat at the table. “Eat.”

Jonathan shook his head, petulantly crossing his arms. “No!”

Will glanced at him, sensing the budding conflict. “Do as your mama says.” He recommended. “Do you want to have to go to the doctor because you didn’t eat?”

“…I have to go to the doctor if I don’t eat!?” Jonathan squeaked.

“Yep.” Will mischievously replied. “So eat up.”

That practically got Jonathan shoveling his food in.

“So,” Will took in a bite of sausage, “Do _you_ have anything planned for today?”

“Why would I?” El asked, a bit testily in response.

Will shrugged. “Figured you wouldn’t say anything to me about my plans if you didn’t.”

“…I might go over to Max’s later.” El replied.

“Oh, cool.” Will nodded. “Just… don’t let her get you too drunk.” He winced in remembrance. “You remember how that turned out last time.”

To say _that_ had been a wild party would be an understatement. The two of them woke up in a dumpster buck-ass nude, Will had a tramp stamp they couldn’t explain, and El’s hair was dyed mountain dew green.

The only saving grace of that night was that Jonathan had been with Joyce. They did _not_ want to have to explain to a three-year-old what alcohol did.

“I’m an adult.” El grumbled. “I can handle myself.” She stated, going to put her empty plate in the sink.

Will blinked. “…was it something I said?”

\------------

An hour later, El had left for Max’s, leaving Will in charge of Jonathan while she was gone. The twenty-two-year-old bounced his son on his leg absent-mindedly, as commercials played on the TV set. He just wanted it to go back to Star Trek already.

Will sighed, as a commercial played for a popular scenic venue nearby, proclaiming it to be the most popular place in the country for weddings. It probably wasn’t but it wasn’t like that hadn’t stopped false advertising before.

Will suddenly gasped, as his train of thought chugged ahead at lightspeed. Weddings… anniversaries.

He knew why El was pissed at him now.

He’d just pulled romantic comedy trope number 507, forgotten anniversary.

“Shit!” Will cursed, gently moving his son to the side as he scrambled into activity. “Shit! Damn! Hell!”

Jonathan laughed, clapping his hands. “Say it again, papa!”

“Fuck!” Will ignored the young one’s ramblings. “FUCK!” Not once had he forgotten their anniversary. Birthdays a couple of times (which is weird since they shared the same birthday, you know, being twins), maybe some other little stuff, but not this.

He was in trouble. He needed to get this sorted, and fast.

Will bit his fingernails. What to do, what to do? Well, for a start, he could play up the forgetfulness this morning as a deliberate tactic to throw her off the scent of what he had ‘planned,’ but that left another problem.

How to scrounge up something in such a short amount of time? El’s gifts for him were always big and eventful, planned weeks in advance, he couldn’t just get her a box of chocolates and end it there.

He had some idea of where to start, at least. He could improvise from there.

Will ran over to the phone, dialing the first number he thought of. “Mom,” He began as soon as she picked up, forgoing a greeting in his mad panic. He had the day, sure, but a day could go by quickly if you weren’t careful. “I know it’s short notice, and I wasn’t expecting it either, but could you please, _please_ look after Jonathan for me today? And don’t tell El!”

 _“…You forgot the big date, didn’t you?”_ His mother knowingly asked in response.

“Yeah,” He moaned, headbutting the wall. “So, you can understand why I’m in such a panic.”

Joyce laughed. _“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I’ll be over in about half an hour.”_

Will smiled in relief. That was one small part taken care of. “Thanks, mom.”

Now… to figure out where the hell to go from there. He could do this himself, but… realistically, he needed some help. He was going to go-all out for this. He had to.

Not if he wanted to keep away from his counterpart’s wrath.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh, that piece of shit!” Max snarled once El had explained the situation.

The other woman recoiled. “…That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“He forgot your _anniversary!”_ Max retorted. “As in, the day the two of you decided to spend the _rest of your lives together!_ This isn’t like forgetting a birthday, or a doctor’s appointment, this is big!”

“I still think it’s a bit… much.” El replied. “We’ve had a lot on our plate this year. I don’t blame him for forgetting.”

“You _should!”_ Max shot back vehemently. “The fact that you remembered but he didn’t says it all! Lucas forgot our anniversary once, _once,_ and then I made sure he never forgot again!”

“…I don’t expect you to understand,” El crossed her arms, leaning back, “But raising _another human being_ kind of takes priority. Besides… It’s not like he does all that much for it anyway.”

“Exactly!” Max replied. “You’re the one who does all the heavy lifting! You know what you should do… You should get payback!”

El frowned. What the hell was Max blabbing about? “Payback?”

Max got a mischievous grin. “You know what would show him… sleeping with another man.”

Okay, that was _too_ far. “Max,” El looked at her with a mix of concern and sarcasm, “Don’t you think that’s a bit _too_ far? All he did was forget a day. It’s not like he cheated on me or anything. All that would do is start something.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay…” Max quickly held her hands up. “You’ve got a point there. How about… Oh, just don’t give him his anniversary present until he ponies up first!”

“...” El crossed her arms. “I still don’t know… This year’s present was going to be really special.”

“Oh?” Max looked like she’d stumbled onto some hot gossip. “What is it?”

“Well, it’s _Will’s_ gift-“

“Come on,” Max grinned, tapping her friend. “You can trust me with it. Unlike _certain_ people,” She glanced at the picture of Lucas nearby, “I can actually keep a secret. Come on, tell me!”

“…Alright.” El conceded after a moment. “But you have to _promise_ not to tell _ANYONE_ , got it?”

“Cross my heart.” Max made the motion.

El nodded, leaning in to whisper it. There really was no reason for her to do so, only that she was so paranoid about it leaking back to Will early, she took all the precautions she thought necessary.

As El pulled back, Max’s jaw slowly dropped.

“Oh… My… _GOD!”_ Max breathed. “Oh my God, that’s amazing!” She gushed. “OHHHHH!” She pulled El into a hug.

El quietly laughed, but let Max get her fill of hug, before pulling away.

“I can’t _believe_ this!” Max looked the other woman up and down. “You know how to go all-out for your gifts!”

El bashfully shrugged. “Well…”

\-----------

Three people stood in the living room of the Byers household. Joyce had come to pick up Jonathan, the young boy going to spend the weekend with his affectionately-titled Mawmaw and Pawpaw (for some strange reason, Jonathan absolutely _refused_ to call Hopper by name), leaving Will to deal with the problem he faced.

Joined by two others, Lucas and Dustin.

Will paced back and forth, anxiously.

Dustin finally let out a frustrated sigh. “He’s not coming, dude.”

“I don’t get it!” Will frustratedly huffed. “I never call him for anything, and the one time I do, he doesn’t answer!?”

“He is in a band,” Lucas reminded them, lounging in a chair. “Probably face-deep in a kilo of coke with groupies on either side.”

Will blinked, arms dropping to his sides. “He’s in a band now? I thought he said he was going to be a writer! And before that, a movie producer!”

“You know Mike.” Lucas spun around. “Long stretches where he vanishes off the face of the Earth, and when he comes back, he’s suddenly done a complete career one-eighty. I’m half convinced the next time we can actually get in touch with him, he’ll be a cult leader.”

Will let out a deep, frustrated growl. “Alright… we’re going to have to do it with just us three.”

“Man,” Dustin addressed, looking like he was either a hippie or a hobo. Maybe an odd mix of both, with a bit of bachelor for added flavor. “You still haven’t told us what _it_ is.”

Will nodded, drawing a breath. “Right, well, it’s mine and El’s anniversary.”

“Oh, cool,” Dustin nodded, long, curly hair bouncing, “Happy anniversary to you, dude.”

“Thanks,” Will replied, “Anyway… I kind of… forgot it.”

Lucas winced, slowly shaking his head. “Oh… my deepest, most sincere apologies.”

“Go to hell, Lucas.” Will shot back, only playing around. “Anyway, I forgot, so I don’t have a gift for her. Which means I have to _make_ one by the end of the day.”

Dustin and Lucas glanced at each other. “Okay…” Lucas turned back, “Just make her like a card or something.”

“I can’t make her a _card_!” Will incredulously repeated. “She’s… El! She’s too…” How to articulate his point… “Special for a card. So, I had an idea. Fancy dinner, cooked myself, with steaks and all.”

“Cool.” Dustin nodded. “So where do _we_ fit in?”

“I need someone to help me get the house ready,” Will answered, “And I need someone to run interference so El doesn’t come back and see what I’m doing.”

“Great,” Lucas rolled his eyes, “We’re your gophers.”

“Actually, the only one who was going to be the gopher was Mike.” Will retorted. “But he’s too busy wearing tight pants and dancing on a stage like he’s having a stroke to care. Or doing something equally fucked-up.”

\--------

Mike suddenly sneezed, sounding like he was hacking up a lung.

“You okay, doll?” The brunette at his side rubbed his chest.

“Yeah, fine.”

\-----------

“Point is,” Will continued, “It’s just us… please, you guys. I need help.”

Dustin and Lucas looked at each other, sighing.

“Fine. At least we’ll get steak… right?”


	3. Chapter 3

“Okay, so, steak, steak, steak…” Will muttered, looking through the refrigerated shelves for the correct cut of meat. “Lots of steak, lots at stake… Heheheh.”

“Hey, buddy,” Another shopper looked at him, “You just blow in from stupid town?”

“Go to hell, Jen.” Will replied. “That attitude’s why Mike dumped your ass.” He finally got the cut he wanted, moving to the aisles with the seasoning. He haphazardly tossed everything he needed and scrambled to get the potatoes. He stopped, seeing the bakery across the way.

There was a black forest cake, the last one evidently, sitting on the table. Black forest was El’s favorite, surely the desert to wrap up the dinner.

Will looked, and locked eyes with a woman standing across the way.

His old nemesis… Chloe Peterson.

It’s a long, complicated, involved story. The long and short of it is, she stumbled across the twins’ secret, and while she couldn’t _prove_ it, settled to make the two’s lives as miserable as possible.

[The woman followed Will’s gaze over to the cake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyAP6PpAzK8). She looked at Will.

Will looked at her.

Her eyes narrowed.

Will’s eyes narrowed.

Instantly, the two leapt into action. The two opposites charged across the floor, shoes pounding against the floor as they charged towards the cake.

“AAAAAAAAAAA!” Will screamed like a madman, the frustrations at this woman all being vocalized in one screech.

“AAAAAAAAAAA!” The woman screamed back, her rage at the two’s abominable relationship filling the air.

Will was the first one to the cake, grabbing and holding it up triumphantly. “HA!” He laughed, sticking his tongue out and blowing a raspberry before running to the checkout.

He was an adult…

But there was no point in being an adult if you couldn’t be childish sometimes.

\----------

Lucas looked around the house, the one left to get the place set up for the date later. He would’ve been running interference, like Dustin, but there was a good chance El was with Max, and that wasn’t something he wanted to get dragged into.

But… god _damn_ the house was in a state. Didn’t those guys clean? Well, it’s not like the place was _dirty,_ just cluttered, but still!

Then again, Will and El had shared a room their entire lives. They probably were used to each other’s clutter.

Lucas looked around and sighed.

He should’ve just chosen to distract the others.

\-----------

El and Max walked arm-in-arm, down the street, chatting, laughing, and gossiping amongst themselves. It was clear, however, that despite the outward levity, something dark hung over El’s head.

Dustin watched them from a distance, the sunglasses and beard masking his face, as the two walked into a…

_Strip club?_

The binoculars fell.

“…I didn’t know they swung _that_ way.”

\----------

El walked through warily, being led by Max. The place was just so… _loud,_ music thumping… and the naked women dancing all around.

“Max,” El glanced at her. “You better have a _damn good reason_ why you brought me here.”

“Oh, I do.” Max smiled. “Come on.” She tugged the other woman along to a table near far from the stage. “This is the _best_ club in Hawkins… Well, the only one.”

“When I said I wanted to go clubbing,” El looked at her, “This isn’t what I had in mind.”

“Relax, it’s fine.” Max replied. “Besides, you don’t even have to drink or anything, so count your lucky stars.”

El sighed frustratedly. “Max, why did you bring me here?”

Max smiled mischievously, as another ‘show’ started, and [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vffW5WbVDCY) started. The thing was though, it didn’t seem to be coming from speakers, but from a band performing _inside_ the club. Weird, El had never heard of a strip club with a live band. Were those things?

A woman came out on stage, strutting over to the pole as the rowdy crowd erupted into whooping cheers.

El looked to Max, exasperated. “Max, I have only one question. _Why?”_

Max smiled mischievously. “Look at the band.”

El rolled her eyes, but acquiesced, freezing as she beheld the band. “Is that… _MIKE!?”_

Indeed, Mike Wheeler was up on stage, playing an electric guitar. El had questions, of course, chief one being:

“What is he _doing_ here!?” El shouted to Max over the headache-inducing music.

“You know how Mike gets these hyperfixations.” Max replied. “First one was writing, the next one was being a self-help guru, you know how he is.”

“But…” El frowned, face flushing pink. “Why is he in a _strip club_.”

“His band plays here every night.” Max explained. “Don’t ask how I figured that out. It’s been a while since you guys saw him, so…” She gestured.

“Why not just _tell_ us?” El demanded.

“He’s… been in a bad way, I can tell.” Max quietly replied. “I don’t know if he’d want to see any of us. I figured I’d spring you on him, get him to talk and open up.”

“That’s stupid,” El replied, “He’ll just clam up.”

“Not if it’s you.” Max retorted. “You’re his best friend’s sister. I _would_ get Will to do it, but you were the next best person.”

“Great, so, you dragged me into this because of laziness.” El rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with Mike?”

“He’s become a total manwhore.” Max answered. “I’m worried he’s going to get an infection or something.”

“I’m not his mother.”

“No, but you’re studying to be a nurse.” Max replied. “So, can you _please_ do something? His sister won’t shut up about it to me.”

El frowned, considering the notion. “...fine. I’ll talk to him. But _only_ because you’re worried.”


	4. Chapter 4

The moment the band walked off-stage, El drew a breath, and followed. It was insultingly simple for her to get back there, truthfully. The bouncer wasn’t expecting a black belt.

It took a few tries, but eventually, she found the room Mike was sequestered away in.

“What?” The man irately replied.

El knocked again.

“What!?” Mike repeated.

El knocked one last time.

“ _What!?_ ” Mike shouted, furiously pulling the door open. He stopped, freezing. “…Elena?”

“Hey, Mike.” She waved.

“What are you… _DOING_ here!?” He questioned. “How did you even get in here!?”

“Max said you’ve been ghosting the rest of us.” El crossed her arms. “I wasn’t going to do this, but she got me curious. Why?”

Mike scowled. “None of your business.” He went to go slam the door, only to be stopped by the woman grabbing it.

“Michael Wheeler,” El growled, “I can knock your ass on this floor faster than you can blink. So, one of two things is going to happen. One, you’re going to let me in and tell me what’s going on. Two, I’m going to kick your ass and you’re going to tell me anyway. Clear?”

Mike wordlessly stepped aside.

\------------

“So,” Mike flopped down, drinking something out of a shot glass. El couldn’t tell if it was water or vodka. “Max threw you at me on her behalf, didn’t she?”

El sat across, frowning. “Max? Why do you think it’s her?”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Of course. She didn’t tell you the whole story, did she?”

El recoiled back, blinking. “Whole story?”

Mike laughed. “Oh, I knew it! That’s _so_ Max! Get someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing to be her gopher.”

“Mike,” El crossed her arms, “You’d better start making sense.”

“Well,” Mike wiped his nose, “Couple ‘a weeks ago, Max and Lucas had that spat, you know?”

El nodded. She couldn’t remember the exact reasons for that particular fight. Max and Lucas had so many, it was hard to keep track of which fight was which.

“Yeah, so, anyway,” Mike continued, “Max got so pissed off that time, she decided to sleep with _me_ to get back at Lucas. Dick move, am I right?”

El scowled. “You _chose_ to do that?”

“No!” Mike defended himself. “She told me her and Lucas were done for. So, I was like, why not? Anyway, one thing led to another, and the morning after, she was kind of pissed off to find out I’d taped the whole thing.”

“…You _taped_ it?” El gagged. “That’s disgusting!”

“Hey,” Mike pointed, “I didn’t keep the tape for the sex, I kept the tape for the conversation beforehand in case she tried to pin the blame on me. Max is my friend, but I can’t trust a word that woman says as far as I can throw her. And neither should you.”

“…Yeah,” El agreed, crossing her arms. “I love her to death, but Jesus… She tried to get me to pull the same thing because Will forgot our anniversary!”

“Jesus,” Mike agreed. “Talk about an overreaction… Wait, it’s your guys’s anniversary? And he forgot?”

“Yeah…” El dejectedly admitted. “I can’t blame him though. This is the first time this has happened.”

“Well, I hope for his sake, he remembers.” Mike took down another shot. “Say… What did she feed you to get you to come back here to talk to me?”

“That she was worried about you.” El answered. “That you were ‘a total fucking manwhore’ and she and Nancy were worried you’d get an infection or something.”

“Ha!” Mike scoffed. “And you believed it?”

“You don’t answer any of our calls.” El replied.

“I don’t answer _anybody’s_ calls.” Mike retorted. “Not since Joel leaked my number to the papers… I’ve been meaning to get it changed, but you know me. Procrastinator.”

“Yeah.” El nodded in agreement. Something was still bothering her, though. “Why did Max send me back here to talk to you at all?”

“Probably so she could steal this.” Mike held up the tape in question. “She’s probably trying to break into the security room now looking for it.”

“Well, stop her!” El shot to her feet.

“Nah.” Mike laughed. “I replaced it with a tape of Star Trek V.”

“…You’re evil.” El decided, laughing as well.

Once the moment passed, Mike tilted his head at her inquisitively. “Why are you here?”

“I told you, Max sent me.”

“No, not here talking to me, here period.” Mike elaborated. “It’s your and Will’s anniversary, shouldn’t you be spending it with him?”

“I told you… he forgot.” El crossed her arms.

“El,” Mike looked at her seriously. “Nobody’s perfect, you know that. Will didn’t forget on purpose to hurt you, he just made a mistake. I’m sure if you’ll give him the chance, he’ll make it up to you.”

“Right…” El sighed, suddenly leaning into her hands. “God, what am I _doing_!? I’m moping around instead of talking to him! I’ve never done that!”

“Hey,” Mike shrugged, “We all make mistakes. Go back to him. Talk, like adults, instead of fuming in anger.”

“Right,” El shot to her feet, “Right! …I should make it up to him though. Get him… chocolate, right, good, he loves chocolate…” She mumbled, running out, on a mission of her own now.

“…bye.” Mike blinked, as the door swung shut behind her. He sighed, getting to his feet, going over to the phone on the wall. He hoped the number was the same, as he dialed it in, letting it ring. Nobody picked up.

“Oh, goddammit, Will…” Mike bit his lip. “Alright, um… JOEL, MATT, JACK, GET YOUR SHIT!” He ordered. “WE’VE GOT SHIT TO DO!”

\----------

Dustin watched from the distance as El finally emerged from the club, marching with a purpose down the street, before a van tore out of the parking lot behind, Mike behind the wheel, tearing asphalt to some unknown destination.

He dropped the binoculars, frowning, as he once again began to trail El from a distance.

“What the hell is going on?”


	5. Chapter 5

Will practically kicked the door off its hinges as he sprinted into the house, freezing. “Jesus… JESUS LUCAS!” He shouted, looking around.

The house was tidier than when he and El moved into it, and Lucas was laying blankly on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

“How’d you do this so fast!?” He asked, laughing.

“…Magic.” Was all Lucas said. “Will… I want you to know… I found a pack of diapers. You guys haven’t had to buy diapers in ages. You need to clean your shit better.”

“Message received,” Will saluted, “Hey, take a nap, buddy.” He recommended. “You’ve earned it.”

“Yeah, a nap…” Lucas yawned. “Sounds… good.”

A furious pounding came from the door, grabbing their attention. Will looked to Lucas, the other man shrugging, as Will went back to the door, answering it. The man on the other side surprised him.

“Mike!?” Will looked him up and down. “Wha- Where the hell have you been, man!?” He demanded, pulling him into a bear hug. “It’s been ages!”

“I know.” Mike replied. “I would’ve come sooner, but…” He shrugged. “Have you ever _tried_ to leave a strip club with all the dancers pawing at you?”

Will blinked. “What?”

“Never mind, that’s not why I’m here.” Mike replied. “As your friend, I feel that it’s my duty as outlined in the Guy Code to tell you, you’re in _deep_ shit.”

“Why?” Will tilted his head. “What’d I do?”

“You forgot your and El’s anniversary, but don’t worry, I can help you fix that.” Mike pushed his way in, hurriedly looking around. “Okay, we’ll set up the drums there, the amps can go on the table, keyboard there-“

“Mike,” Will chuckled, “I know. Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

Mike glanced at him. “You do… great. What’s the plan?”

“Fancy dinner cooked by yours truly.” Will gestured, pointing out the décor in the house for emphasis.

Mike slowly nodded in approval. “Right… but, you know what you need to set the mood?”

Will blinked, recoiling back a tiny amount.

“Music.” Mike let out a shrill whistle. “Alright guys! Let’s get it set up! El’s on her way back now, and we’re burning daylight!”

That threw Will into a panic, “Alright, need to get the steaks going, the truffle fries, god damn… GOD DAMN!”

This was cutting it close.

\-----------

El strode into the store with intent, walking down to the candy aisle. With a furious desperation, she grabbed six of the extra-large Hershey’s bars that Will liked, balancing a coke on top of them precariously.

She was getting looks from the cashier, she noted, but she didn’t care.

Marching back out to the car, she flopped down in the driver’s seat, tearing a bar open, munching down on it to calm her nerves.

Throwing the car into gear, she sped back home.

\----------

The sun was beginning to set as El pulled into the driveway, a black van she didn’t recognize parked in the side yard.

Frowning, El walked up to the door, pushing it open. She was half-worried she’d see Will with another woman, but that wouldn’t make any sense. Will just wasn’t that kind of person.

“Will?” El called, stepping inside. “I’m ho-“

She stopped, the state of the dining room catching her attention. The lights were dim, the only source in the room being the candles. The table was covered with a red tablecloth, two plates of steak and fries on it, with glasses by the side.

The moment she strode in, ambient music filled the air, being played by Mike and his gang off in the other room.

Will was standing there, clasping his hands nervously. He wasn’t dressed up, which she was glad for, cause God knows she wasn’t wearing anything fancy.

“Happy anniversary, El.” Will nervously smiled.

“Oh, Will…” El murmured. “You didn’t forget…” She realized, covering her mouth. This was an all-day project, at best. The ‘I forgot’ had just been an excuse to get her out of the house.

At least, that’s what she thought.

And it made her feel horrible. Of course Will wouldn’t forget. At least, not for long. How could she have blamed him?

“…from a certain point of view.” Will muttered, embracing her. “I forgot your present… I hope this makes up for it.”

“Will,” El nuzzled into him, “Of course, it does.”

“Then,” He gestured to the table, “Shall we eat?”

El smiled, sitting down across from him. The steak looked delicious, and so did the fries.

Mike, from the other room, looked to his fellows, and quietly gestured. “Alright, guys. This is it. Percussion.”

Joel lightly beat against the drums.

“Strings.” Mike continued.

Matt gently strummed his electric guitar.

“Winds.” Mike kept on.

Jack hit the keys on his keyboard, the instrument belting out notes reminiscent of a clarinet.

“Words.” Mike finished, smiling, clutching his microphone. _“There you see her… sitting there across the way… She don’t got a lot to say, but there’s something about her. And you don’t know why, but you’re dying to try, you wanna_ kiss the girl _.”_

El blushed, looking to her husband. “Will… How much did all of this take?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Will quietly replied. “It was worth it, in the end.”

 _“Yes, you want her, look at her, you know you do. Possible she want you too, there is one way to ask her. It don’t take a word not a single word, go on and_ kiss the girl.”

“Don’t you think so?” Will inquired, continuing from his last question.

El looked around, smiling brightly. “Yeah… it is.”

 _“Sing with me now. Shalalalala my, oh, my. Looks like the boy’s too shy, ain’t gonna kiss the girl.”_ Mike shook his head. _“Shalalalala, ain’t that sad? And it’s a shame, too bad, he’s gonna_ miss _the girl.”_

“This is a wonderful gift, Will…” El jittered. “…Makes mine look like a gift card in comparison.”

Will snorted. “Nonsense. I’ll still love it.”

 _“Now’s your moment…”_ Mike trilled. _“Floating in a blue lagoon. Boy you’d better do it soon, no time will be better. She don’t say a word and she won’t say a word until you_ kiss the girl.”

“Will…” El shifted in her seat, licking her lips. How to present it to him? With flowery language and euphemisms? No… blunt would be best. She took a breath, hoping he’d like what he heard. “I’m pregnant again.”

Will’s jaw dropped. “What? For… for real?”

El smiled, nodding. “For real.”

“Oh my GOD!” Will leapt up. “That’s amazing!” He pulled her into another embrace, spinning her around.

 _“Shalalala don’t stop now,”_ Mike sung, _“Don’t try to hide it now, you wanna kiss the girl. Go on and kiss the girl. You’ve got to kiss the girl._ KISS THE GIRL!”

Will and El looked at each other, into identical brown irises, and lost themselves.

“Well…” El murmured. “You heard him.”

Far be it from him to ignore an order, especially from El. Their lips collided, gently, lovingly, the stress from the day on both sides melting away in seconds.

The two began to sway, dancing, their dinner forgotten as they dared not release each other.

El leaned into him. “Happy anniversary, Will.”


End file.
